Lagonda in Detail: 4 1/2 Litre and V12, 1933-40

2015 | Transportation

In 1933 the long-established car maker Lagonda introduced its now immortal 4.5-litre model, a large, powerful machine that made a potent rival for the contemporary Bentleys and Talbots. Initially a rather rough and tough car, it was progressively refined by W.O. Bentley in the mid-1930s, and was joined in 1938 by his magnificent V12 4.5-litre car, which provided effortless and silent 100 mph performance. All these cars are highly prized today and fetch enormous prices, based not only on their elegance and pedigree but also on their abilities, which were amply demonstrated at Le Mans. This is the first ever book devoted to these models and Arnold Davey, the Registrar and Historian of the Lagonda Club, is uniquely qualified to write it, offering an in-depth examination of the design, manufacture, evolution and characteristics of the cars, as well as the practicalities of ownership today. Six splendid specimens have been specially photographed to illustrate the text. * Models covered: M45 1933-35, M45R Rapide 1935, LG45 1936-37, LG45R Rapide 1937, LG6 1938-40, V12 1938-40. * Fully illustrated: with 270 colour and black-and-white photographs.

Arnold Davey (Author)